Archbishop of Canterbury admitted God was 'pretty useless' on 9/11

The Archbishop of Canterbury admitted that God was "pretty useless"
in the face of the 9/11 terror attacks, according to a new book.

Rowan Williams, the Archbishop of Canterbury, admitted God was 'pretty useless' in the face of 9/11 terror attacksPhoto: David Rose

By Martin Beckford, Religious Affairs Correspondent

1:26PM GMT 10 Nov 2008

Dr Rowan Williams, who was just streets away from the World Trade Center when it was destroyed by Islamic terrorists in hijacked passenger planes, is said to have told an airline pilot in the immediate aftermath of the atrocity that God had not prevented it because He has given humans free will.

The Archbishop and his companions feared they would suffocate in a smoke-filled room as the Twin Towers collapsed, it is claimed, with one of his friends putting a hand on his shoulder and declaring: "I can't think of anyone I'd rather die with."

The dramatic account of Dr Williams' ordeal in New York on September 11, 2001, is included in a new biography, which also discloses that he remains "haunted" by the suicide of a fellow student at Oxford who was besotted with him.

Dr Williams, now the head of the 80 million-strong worldwide Anglican Communion, was the Archbishop of Wales when al-Qa'eda launched its audacious attack on the US mainland, and had been due to address a meeting of religious leaders at an educational foundation just off Wall Street.

He and his companions realised they were in a "war zone" after the second tower was struck, according to the book, but Dr Williams is said to have reassured them with a prayer.

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As the first skyscraper crumbled, the auditorium filled with soot and smoke and the group feared they were trapped and could die.

The Rev Fred Burnham, director of the Trinity Institute, said the air was "virtually suffocating" and thought to himself: "I don't know how much longer we can tolerate this, maybe we've got 15 minutes, and beginning then to realise I would die."

Elizabeth Koenig, a friend of Dr Williams, is said to have laid a hand on his shoulder and said: "I can't think of anyone I'd rather die with."

Eventually police officers broke down a back door to the building and helped the Archbishop and his group escape, and they stumbled down the streets as the second tower came down, with Dr Williams putting his arm around a colleague.

The following day Dr Williams delivered a sermon at Manhattan's Cathedral of St John the Divine, bringing tears to the eyes of the congregation after recalling a chance encounter he had with an airline pilot on the street early that morning.

According to Rupert Shortt's new biography, the pilot asked him: "Where the hell was God?"

The book states: "Rowan's answer was that God is useless at times like this.

"Now that's pretty shocking, but actually what he then went on to unpack is that God didn't cause this and God [was not] going to stop it, because God has granted us free will, and therefore God has to suffer the consequences of this like we do. So in a sense he exonerated God."

The book also tells how Dr Williams, while completing his doctoral thesis at Wadham College, Oxford, in the 1970s, counselled a young woman who was suffering from depression, Hilary Watson.

He was the last person to see her before she took a fatal overdose of sleeping pills in April 1975 and Dr Williams is said to have admitted to his biographer that the tragedy "still haunts him".

Miss Watson told a friend to "tell Rowan it's not his fault" but the Archbishop says he is still "hurt" that her family blame him for her death.